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For centuries, açaí berries were recognised and consumed exclusively in the rainforests of South America, where they constitute an essential nutrient in the indigenous diet of of the Amazon, and are also used as a natural medicine for treating skin diseases and digestive ailments.
A consumption study indicating the traditional uses that the indigenous peoples have made of the açaí has spread knowledge about its health and nutritional properties. This has expanded açaí consumption, first in Brazil and, more recently, in other countries.
The Açaizeiro fruit is round, about 10 to 14 mm in diameter, a dark purple, almost black colour and the palm tree grows in clusters called “horns”, consistently producing 3 to 5 per tree, with 500 to 900 fruit (two crops per year). The much desired fruit (pulp) is only 10% of what makes up the berry, the remaining 90% being the seed or pit. Its flavour is reminiscent of a mixture of berries and chocolate, wild raspberry with a little grape.
Açai berries cannot be consumed. They need to be processed in order to obtain their maximum nutritional value. The berry loses its nutritional value if it is not handle properly when picked. Hence, there are different qualities of the product and not all have the same properties which we have discussed above.